The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-03-03
FISHING FOR sEiREsTl,s.
Work os ts:c Chinese ri<.,ermer Eions The
nncifio Coast.

The sight OF tie awkward Cf.incsc
junk hiss become 50 common in the bay
rs 10 hardly atsrsel the attention OF shcse
who are in the habit OF using tho fe!-ry-
boats constantly, saws the San Francisco
Post Occasionally come iocular. con-
tcfnptaous remark is made en- the build
or rig of orc Of TIE crafts, coupled With
pity;ng aiiasion 10 the poverty-stTicisen
looking crew. The Owners cf the crafts
can at.cri to lot the laugh go round.
and none Of them are at sll DESTROYS OF
correcting the mistaken impression as
to their pover-v snG the small amount
realized by their trade. 1t viii astoaish
mauy OF those who have ridiCuled the
clumsy, higii-sterned boxes. with their
nla.ted squaresails, 10 learn Tint the
freight carried by these boats amounts
in ral1e 10 sboat s., 900, 600 year. al
of them sre engaged IL the fishing trade
On the bay and the lagoons or tidal
creeks which run up into the low marshy
lands lying along the shores. They are
here 10 make as much money in rs short
q time as possible, ard then 90 baci, to
China. From Vallejo 10 the extreme
southern end of the bay they are busy
all the year round, dragging the waters
of tie bay with nets having meshes SO
sinsh that nothing that swiIns can es-
cape them; salmoa fry. niinrows, young
herring, shrimps. and large fish, are all
scooped in. The larger fish ere sold at
10 TO Is cents rer pound in Chinatown,
while thc smaller ones, together with
tie shri1nps. are sent abroad. When s
haul is inside the wriggling mass is sort
cd out on the beach, the larger fish be-
ing az once sent to rlarkst. TIE email
fish are aesin sorted, the larger ones De-
ing cried and packed separately. The
shrinp., after being dried, are shaken
up in sieves or riddles. lie shells and
small portions of the shrimps fall
through the sieTe. and are carefully
gathered up in sacks. The meaty parts
ere cs,sfully packed and also sent abroad
as table sielicacy; the shells and re-
fuse, together with the refuse fish, are
ell hacked together and sent away TO be
used as food for fcwls or fer manure.
Every steamer leaving this pcr. takes
away in the neighbo:hood OF AGO tens Of
dried shr:,nps and fish in the proper
tons of $50 tons Of shriiaps. 200 tons of
sariines. salmon, etc, and fifty tons Of
citllbst ssciiS tIo Esst EtSHitC- LEU
shrinps are the most valuable, bringing
in China an average OF $500 per ton.
The sardines and salmon are worth
S2Co per ton, and the refuse $40 per ton.
OF s total OF So. 600 for the 100 ions OF
product. Fer years TIE shipments aver
aged three month, or thirty-six ship
nlen:s year. being al export % S., l3e,-
900 worth Of s:iGs gathered by tie Chi
ness junks, and their lazy, shiftless-
looking crews. Beyond the slight
amount necessary 20 buy the luniher for
their boats and E.ie cordage and
cloth fcr sails and rigging, hardly
doIlsr ns this lsrge sum is spent in this
country. Even the nets and the t~ine
OF which they ere made are brought
from abroad. Z gentleman who was
engaged for Tears in searching Chineze
steamers states that he has often seen
Cinnamon land at !he mail docs with
notl,ir.; n tha world in tho shape of
capital except Cns Of these nets. IN
aheus month the s2me CEinamaD
wo9ai appear as skipper Of from three
20 ten tons CT fish. He had il the mean-
time associated himself with four CT five
Others; they had secured a secondhand
boat and gone 10 work dragging the
tay. Ia . few months he vas not only
c ghipper bus az importer, receiging
large lots of rice, sugar, dried fowls. and
other articles OF Chinese food, IS T,eil IS
clothing